The Remarkables at Hanley’s Farm in Queenstown

One of the challenges with this development from a design perspective was bringing the outdoors inside at every opportunity. It’s no coincidence that nearly all the showhomes feature VELUX skylights. During construction some of the homes had their skylight totals doubled, as project managers were inspired to capture and frame the views of the surrounding landscape, including the awe-inspiring Remarkables mountain range, which is a dominant and recognisable feature of the Queenstown landscape. The homes featured represent a diversity of architectural styles and price points, but they all share the same strategy for capturing natural light and bringing outdoor scenery inside – VELUX skylights.

DAVID REID HOMES: For David Reid Homes, Hanley’s Farm was an opportunity to pull out all the stops. The resulting display home has Siberian larch ceilings with gas-torched detailing and a grand total of 19 VELUX skylights. “I’m a big believer in skylights, not just because of the natural light they let in, but because of the scenery they can capture. The views at Hanley’s Farm are quite awesome, but you’d miss a lot of that scenery if you didn’t have skylights in the right place.”

JENNIAN HOMES: The Jennian group likes to build personality-plus homes that look more expensive than their build cost. A highlight of the Jennian Homes showhome at Hanley’s Farm is a dining room with mountain top views, courtesy of the three VELUX solar-powered skylights installed in the ceiling. “The kitchen is in the middle of the house, so it’s really the heart of the home. We wanted to bring some natural light in and use the mountain view to give the house a point of difference... The skylights draw their eyes upward and they’re looking straight at the mountain tops.”

RNP HOMES: RNP Homes’ house has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a self-contained studio apartment – and a grand total of 18 skylights. They gained stunning views of The Remarkables from nearly every room in the home. “The wow factor when you walk in is huge. Visitors to the showhome just aren’t expecting it, because from the front the house is a bit understated… They’re also impressed by the functionality the skylights bring. In bathrooms, the skylights let moisture out while they’re drawing in fresh air.”

SIGNATURE HOMES: Signature Homes used a total of 10 VELUX solar-powered skylights for their showhome in the Hanley’s Farm display village. They took one of their standard designs and customised it to suit a corner section and the huge mountain view opportunity. “The skylights connect with the wall windows, so you can stand in the kitchen and get an unobstructed view of the mountain range.”

GOLDEN HOMES: Golden Homes build innovative, quality houses that feature Zog steel framing and advanced strategies such as rigid air barriers and integrated natural air ventilators. For their Hanley’s Farm showhome, the use of VELUX skylights helped them to maximise natural light, preserve privacy and avoid views of the neighbour’s fence. “We needed to put the kitchen on an external wall, which limits the amount of natural light you can get in. Including a bank of skylights let us overcome this challenge and create an amazing natural light feature for the house. The skylights are on the western side of the roof space, so in the morning there’s beautiful ambient light. Direct sunlight comes through later in the day, bringing with it a sense of being outdoors.”

SOLAR POWERED SKYLIGHTS: Available in 15 sizes (including both pitched and flat roof models), VELUX solar-powered skylights with remote control capture daylight, fresh air and sky views. Its solar panel recharges a fully concealed battery that powers the control system; no hardwiring is necessary. Every skylight comes with a removable insect screen.

DOUBLE GLAZING: The skylights installed in Hanley’s Farm display homes have laminated, argon-filled double glazing with Low-E3 coating to achieve high thermal efficiency. This helps to keep homes comfortable in Central Otago, where temperatures can drop to -10°C in winter and soar to more than 30°C in high summer.

SMART CONTROL: Several of the Hanley’s Farm homes took advantage of VELUX ACTIVE indoor climate control (sold separately). This system uses smart sensors to continuously monitor the temperature, humidity and CO2 levels, opening and closing skylights and blinds accordingly. The accompanying smart phone app allows remote control of skylights and blinds from anywhere.

Several of the Hanley’s Farm homes took advantage of VELUX ACTIVE indoor climate control (sold separately). This system uses smart sensors to continuously monitor the temperature, humidity and CO2 levels, opening and closing skylights and blinds accordingly. The accompanying smart phone app allows remote control of skylights and blinds from anywhere.

The biggest feature lies to the east of the site – The Remarkables range. Towering to 2,319 metres, these mountains take up space that would normally be occupied by sky. Hanley’s Farm builders have capitalised on this by incorporating skylights on east-facing roofs. Some have gone a step further by running floor-to-ceiling windows up to the skylights.

Another unique feature of Hanley’s Farm is the Southern Lakes climate. Hot in summer and cold in winter, it provides sporting and outdoor opportunities all year round. But inside their homes, residents want a controlled climate that’s always comfortable. VELUX skylights support this goal with Low-E3 double glazing that minimises heat gain and loss.

Hanley’s Farm is about modern living surrounded by nature. The people who will live in this development want technology that gives them more time to enjoy the magnificent landscape and the recreation it offers. The VELUX ACTIVE system plays to this by providing remote and automated control of light and ventilation. We believe Hanley’s Farm raises the benchmark for residential developments in unique locations. It demonstrates how home developers can work with sunshine, air and vertical views, as well as wood, concrete and steel.

Download the full case study HERE.